Toaru Hikuushi e no Yasoukyoku:Prologue

Prologue

The Seagull is loved by the sky.

The sky is on the Seagull's side. The atmosphere informs him of the enemy’s position, and the bullets fired at him are blown away by the wind, disappearing into the wake of his flight.

The will of the sky protects the Seagull.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for a human to perform such evasive manoeuvres.

It’s like divine intervention. There’s no way I can bring down the Seagull with my skills──.

As Shinichi Hasami, the squadron leader of the Unkaku's air group, peered through the torrential rain that battered the windscreen, he heard a whisper in his mind.

Shaking his head, he tried to shake off the delusion.

Don’t let yourself be plagued by weakness.

We have the advantage in numbers, aircraft performance, and armament.

Fourteen single-seat fighters, Shinden, are chasing the Seagull.

Using the advantage in speed, they rain down 30mm machine gun fire from all directions, cutting off the escape route, forcing a change in course, and then anticipating the evasion to deliver another barrage of bullets.

There’s no way the Seagull can escape in this situation. Within minutes, the Seagull and the future empress will bloom like a blood-coloured flower on the surface of the sea. If, by some miracle, they don’t──the responsibility lies with me as the squadron leader.

Driving himself onward, Hasami peered through the OPL targeting sight.

Beneath the cumulonimbus cloud──.

The greyish-blue aircraft, flying just above the rain-smeared ocean, loomed larger in the spider-web-shaped reticule. The Seagull had no choice but to fly at an altitude of 10 meters. Hasami understood that. If the pilot trailing the Seagull from above tried to pursue, they risked crashing into the sea. The only way to bring down the Seagull now was to fly at the same altitude. And the Shinden squadron led by Hasami had the skill to do so.

Through the veil of silver rain, the silhouette of the future empress, Fana del Moral, seated in the rear seat, faintly appeared. The mission was to shoot down this girl into the Central Sea, indefinitely postponing her wedding to Prince Carlo and completely demoralizing Levamme. It’s cruel, but it’s war, and there’s no other way. If the Seagull managed to break through to the Central Sea, and the national wedding took place, it would serve as the rallying cry for Levamme’s counteroffensive. In the six months since the war began, morale has only been rising, and allowing the wedding to happen would deal a severe blow. The fate of the entire Amatsukami now rests on this moment. There’s no room for unnecessary pity.

Becoming a machine built solely to shoot down the enemy, Hasami closed in with his aircraft.

The wings of the enemy aircraft, the Santa Cruz, filled the targeting reticule.

He was within lethal range. He could almost see the terrified expression on the girl in the rear seat.

Hasami silently prayed and, after mentally clasping his invisible hands together, pressed the 30mm machine gun trigger to the side.

The firing port on the fuselage roared to life. Thick, crimson tracers sliced through the downpour, extending toward the tail of the Santa Cruz, reaching out with fiery tongues toward the helpless future empress.

And then──.

A spray erupted from the surface of the sea.

The windshield was suddenly obscured by a film of water.

The Santa Cruz, which should have been blown to pieces, was nowhere to be seen.

Through the targeting sight, there was only the endless ocean, hammered by rain.

"Impossible."

Hasami muttered unconsciously, his eyes scanning all directions.

The Seagull had somehow slipped away and was now skimming just above the sea far ahead on his left.

The following aircraft pursued. Just like Hasami, they used their speed advantage to position themselves above and behind the Seagull, closing in for a kill shot, but the Seagull seemed to predict every move. With perfect timing, it glided and evaded the storm of bullets.

The "King of the Skies," with 14 Shinden aircraft, couldn’t bring down a single reconnaissance floatplane.

──The Seagull is loved by the sky.

Once again, the whisper caressed Hasami’s ear.

His vision was swallowed by the rain. Visibility was too poor. He couldn’t see the Seagull’s tail anymore…

Suddenly, a bolt of golden lightning, accompanied by the roar of the heavens, flashed in front of Hasami, zigzagging across the sky.

Blinded, he cursed the ferocious storm. He could barely see the sea.

Straining his burnt retinas through the rain, the Seagull was gone.

"Where is it?"

He panicked. Not only had the Seagull disappeared, but so had the other aircraft that had been flying with him.

All he could see was a curtain of torrential rain. The ink-black sea churned violently as it was pummelled by large raindrops.

This rain was extraordinary. The drops even seeped through the canopy.

It was as if the clouds, the sea, the rain—everything in this airspace—were aiding the Seagull.

──Have we… failed to track our target?

Impossible.

The Levamme crown prince had carelessly sent out a telegraph message, which had been decoded, allowing an entire fleet to lay a net in the Seagull's path. The flying fleet had been poised to strike with an impenetrable wall of steel and the "King of the Skies" Shinden waiting for their hapless prey. It was not a net that a sluggish reconnaissance plane with floats could break through alone.

And yet, the Seagull had slipped through Hasami's fingers and was about to achieve a feat that no one had ever accomplished.

──A solo flight across enemy territory, breaking through the Central Sea, 12,000 kilometres!

That sentence burned into his brain. The humiliation welled up inside him. However, no matter how much he wandered through the storm, the Seagull was nowhere to be seen.

Soon, they would drift out of the radio guidance range of the aerial carrier. Once outside of it, a single-seat fighter without a navigator would be unable to return to the carrier, and with no power, they would be swallowed by the ocean.

“Damn it. Damn it...!”

The frustration leaked from Hasami’s mouth in such vulgar curses. He had to return to the carrier and report this situation to the aviation staff officer and the air group commander. No excuse would suffice. He would accept the scolding and insults, but the hardest part would be the silent ridicule from his colleagues.

He could already hear that guy’s mocking laughter in the back of his mind. They were like oil and water, like the sky and the sea, forever unable to mix, and the thought of being mocked by that troublesome officer was unbearable.

Hasami’s face twisted as he gripped the control stick. If that guy were to laugh at him, he would rather crash into the ocean and die. For a moment, he almost pushed the stick forward for real, but then reconsidered. Whether he died or not, that guy would probably still laugh at him. With that realization, he turned his distorted face back towards the airspace where the carrier awaited.

The base of the cumulonimbus clouds was endlessly dark and cold, as if reflecting Hasami’s gloom.

“You’re saying you let him escape?”

In the second floor of the aviation command room on the Amatsukami Aerial Corps' standard carrier Unkaku, the aviation staff officer and the air group commander lined up in front of Hasami, their faces filled with disbelief.

“Fourteen Shinden fighters together, and you couldn’t shoot down an unescorted seaplane?”

Hearing it said out loud made him painfully aware of how absurd the situation was.

Standing rigidly at attention, Hasami bit his lip so hard that it bled, then opened his eyes wide and puffed out his chest.

“It’s entirely my responsibility.”

“I want to hear the details. What happened?”

“There were no problems on our end. There was a cumulonimbus cloud in our path, and the enemy pilot was exceptionally skilled. That’s all.”

The two officers exchanged glances, and then the air group commander spoke.

“The pilot entrusted with flying the future Levamme empress across the Central Sea wouldn’t be an average one. But even so… it was a seaplane, wasn’t it? And the person sitting in the back seat didn’t even know how to fire a machine gun, just a mere weight. To think you couldn’t shoot down such an enemy…”

Tears of blood flowed from Hasami’s heart. He regretted not plunging into the sea after all.

The commander was right. Failing in a pursuit that should never have failed.

“I should die to atone.”

The honest thought slipped out of Hasami’s mouth.

“There’s no such practice in the navy. Don’t lump us in with the army. Rather than dying to apologize, fight and live.”

“...Yes, sir... I was careless.”

“However, it seems we’re dealing with a tougher opponent than we expected. If fourteen planes couldn’t bring him down… what now?”

The air group commander answered the aviation staff officer’s question.

“There are occasionally such monstrous aviators who emerge on the battlefield. They rule the skies with abilities beyond human limits, as if born for aerial combat…”

“Hmm,” the aviation staff officer snorted, directing his distant gaze out the window, looking down at the clouds drifting below at an altitude of 2,000 meters.

“If there’s such an ace of aerial combat, we have one of our own, don’t we?”

Both the air group commander’s and Hasami’s expressions twisted bitterly at the same time.

“Yes, we do. But…”

“He’s… not exactly the right person for such an important mission.”

The aviation staff officer quietly asked, receiving their weak responses.

“Hasami. What do you think? Can Chijiwa bring down the Seagull?”

Hasami felt his stomach churn with humiliation. Words of scorn and insults against him welled up from the depths of his mind. He hated him, but he couldn’t give a careless answer to the staff officer’s question.

He gave his honest opinion.

“If Lieutenant Chijiwa… yes, he could bring down the Seagull.”

“Are you certain?”

“...Almost certainly. However… the lieutenant is, to say the least, very problematic as a person…”

The air group commander finished Hasami’s interrupted sentence.

“His skill is undeniable. No one in the Amatsukami or Levamme could defeat him in aerial combat. But he has a terrible disregard for military discipline… He’s like a child; he doesn’t even listen to me.”

“He’s not someone who fights for the greater good. That man… he can’t tell the difference between modern warfare and a samurai duel!”

“If he can bring down the Seagull, I don’t care if he’s a relic from the past. We’ll make use of him.”

At the aviation staff officer’s resolute words, his subordinates’ shoulders drooped. The air group commander, his eyebrows drawn together, gave orders to Hasami.

“Go fetch Chijiwa. I’ll instruct him personally.”

“...Yes, sir.”

Dragging his heavy feet, Hasami left the aviation command room.

Thinking about where Chijiwa might be on the carrier Unkaku, he decided to check the hangar first.

Descending the stairs from the upper deck, the cold darkness awaited. More than eighty propeller fighters, bombers, and attack aircraft were lined up on the lifeless concrete floor. The maintenance crews were already replenishing the hydrogen batteries of the Shinden fighters that had just returned. The Shinden stood a head taller than the other planes, making them easy to spot. In the amber light of the bulbs, Hasami wove his way through the tightly packed Shinden, searching for Chijiwa’s beloved aircraft.

He soon spotted it—a caricature of a Beagle dog, mocking him from the nose of the plane.

Every time Hasami saw it, deep wrinkles furrowed between his brows.

Normally, you’d expect a tiger, a leopard, or a hawk—something more dignified—painted on the nose. Why did that man choose to adorn his beloved plane with such a ridiculous-looking Beagle? It might be acceptable if he’d shot down one or two planes as a joke, but Chijiwa was the ace of aces with 69 confirmed kills in the six months since the war began. He was a hero admired by the children of Amatsukami, and for the sake of boosting morale, he should have painted a beast that would look good on the front page of the newspapers.

Once, Hasami had asked Chijiwa about the origin of the Beagle.

“It’s my good luck charm.”

With his usual brusque tone, Chijiwa had said only that, maintaining his stony expression and saying nothing more. Even when Hasami pressed for details, he wouldn’t give any response, instead criticizing Hasami’s aerial combat skills. Hasami had fallen into the provocation, getting worked up, and the conversation about the Beagle had been forgotten.

One of Chijiwa’s aircraft mechanics was in the cockpit, cleaning after removing the instruments. Hasami shouted from outside.

“Where’s Chijiwa?”

The young mechanic, his face covered in engine oil, popped his head out of the cockpit and looked around.

“Isn’t he under the wing?”

Hasami looked under the folded wing of the Shinden. The tall Shinden's wings were high enough that it was obvious no one was there.

“He’s not!”

Feeling like he was being mocked, Hasami’s voice rose instinctively.

“He was checking the landing gear earlier, so he might be in the crew quarters.”

Receiving the mechanic’s apologetic reply, Hasami marched towards the crew quarters, his shoulders tense with anger. He had never heard of an officer who personally maintained their own aircraft, but Chijiwa preferred doing such things.

Passing through the lowered deck and walking down the cramped corridor, Hasami continued. The interior of the standard carrier Unkaku was a labyrinth, with the upper, middle, and lower decks divided into countless sections by bulkheads and Armor walls. In the “sunless section,” which would be submerged below the waterline when the ship touched the sea, was where the crew quarters of the Unkaku air group were located. Aviators straightened up and saluted as Hasami passed. As an officer aviator, Hasami was the superior of the aviators stationed in this area.

The Amatsukami Navy had distinct divisions between “officers,” “non-commissioned officers,” and “enlisted personnel.” Graduates of the Naval Academy became officers, starting their military careers as second lieutenants, while aviators from the flight preparatory school, or "Yokaren," began as non-commissioned officers, and no matter how skilled they were in flight, they couldn’t disobey an officer’s orders.

──Usually.

Hasami bit his lip.

Chijiwa was an exception, a “special lieutenant” who had risen from non-commissioned officer status. He was technically of lower rank than a pure officer aviator, but he laughed in the face of such conventions. Even in front of others, he had no qualms about mocking the flight skills of the officers. It was intolerable for the officer aviators, but since no one could actually defeat Chijiwa in the air, they couldn’t complain. His combat record was simply too overwhelming.

In the six months since the war began, Chijiwa had recorded 69 confirmed kills, making him the ace of aces. The second-highest score was 32, making his record stand out even more.

Chijiwa had built his score primarily in air superiority battles over San Martilia. Assigned to the “Takazuka Airfield” squadron, established by the Imperial Amatsukami Army near the border of San Martilia, Chijiwa participated in daily air battles against the Levamme Royal Army Eastern Expeditionary Division. Day after day, interception battles and air superiority missions were fought, and against the Royal Army’s Aires II fighters that arrived in large numbers, Chijiwa demonstrated his peerless combat prowess.

The “sword” that allowed Chijiwa to dominate the skies was the Amatsukami’s latest single-seat fighter, the Shinden.

Designed by a Levamme engineer, who remarked that it had “skipped two necessary stages of aircraft evolution,” this masterpiece far outclassed the Aires II in maximum speed, range, armament, climb rate, and manoeuvrability. The Imperial Army's attack squadrons, protected by the Shinden, bombarded Royal Army fortresses and airfields with ease, while the Royal Army’s attack squadrons, unable to overcome the Shinden, saw their strength whittled away day by day. The Levamme side painfully learned the critical importance of advanced single-seat fighters in determining the outcome of the war.

Already a formidable machine, the Shinden became unstoppable in the hands of Chijiwa Takeo, a prodigy of aerial combat. The rumour of the “Mad Dog” Beagle spread across the entire Royal Army stationed in San Martilia, and within three months of the war's start, some Royal Army aviators began bailing out of their Aires fighters as soon as they spotted the Beagle.

Why was Chijiwa so strong?

Hasami had discussed that topic with the aviation staff officer of the Unkaku air group.

His eyesight allowed him to spot enemy planes 20 kilometres away in the sky, his body could withstand stronger G-forces in dogfights than anyone else, he had the physical strength to handle the heavy control stick of the Shinden during acceleration, he had the muscle sensitivity to detect the structural limits of the plane through the stick’s vibrations, continuing to fight at the edge of disintegration, and he had the mathematical ability to ensure that his 30mm bullets, which tended to fall short of the target, reliably hit the enemy (he factored in the wind on the battlefield, the speed difference between his and the enemy’s aircraft, the distance, altitude, and the positional relationship in three-dimensional space). Even without a navigator, his navigation skills allowed him to fly solo over the ocean──endurance, quick reflexes, sharp instincts, and intelligence──he possessed all the abilities required of a fighter pilot, and yet that wasn’t all. These abilities could be honed with effort. What made Chijiwa a once-in-a-century pilot, a treasured asset of the Imperial Army, was his unparalleled “intuition,” something that couldn’t be developed through training.

Countless times, Chijiwa had found hidden enemy planes in the clouds, uncovered decoy formations, and successfully carried out solo reconnaissance flights at night in a single-seat fighter, which was thought to be impossible. These feats depended neither on physical nor mental abilities, but rather, they were closer to “superhuman” abilities. No enemy plane that faced Chijiwa could ambush him from the clouds, escape using the clouds, or flee at all. No matter how much they tried to evade, they would inevitably be caught and shot down by 30mm machine gun fire at point-blank range, plunging into the sea.

No one could beat him in a direct confrontation, nor could they hide or escape──. That was why Royal Army aviators who encountered the “Mad Dog” Beagle often bailed out on the spot.

And his “intuition” only sharpened with each battle.

Nothing sharpened an aviator’s skills like real combat. The more air battles he experienced, the more Chijiwa learned from the sky, constantly honing his abilities. In the six months since the war began, Chijiwa had logged more than 1,200 flight hours. In contrast, the Levamme Royal Army was mass-producing new aviators with just 300 hours of flight time and sending them to the battlefield, meaning there was a skill gap between Chijiwa and the Royal Army aviators equivalent to the difference between a second-dan and seventh-dan in kendo.

However, with each passing air battle, Chijiwa’s eccentricities became more pronounced. He had disobeyed orders from his superiors more than a dozen times, walked on his hands while living on the ship, slept standing up, kicked a pompous military doctor, challenged his superiors’ air combat strategies—his behaviour was utterly unrestrained. The upper brass wanted to punish him, but Chijiwa’s combat skills were so exceptional that they couldn’t afford to lose him, and now, a sense of “well, that’s just Chijiwa” had started to permeate the Unkaku.

──He’s skilled, but inside, he’s still a child.

Hasami muttered this complaint with a sigh as he searched for Chijiwa in the crew quarters. The smoke from cigarettes lingered in the light of the bare lightbulbs. The heavy scent of sweat and heat filled the room, and somewhere nearby, the sound of music from a phonograph could be heard.

“Well, if it isn’t the squadron leader! What an honour for you to visit such a dingy place!”

A shirtless aviator, holding a can of beer, gave Hasami a cheerful salute. Though it was a half-hearted gesture for an officer, Hasami didn’t mind the informal camaraderie of his subordinates. He pulled a cigarette from his chest pocket and handed it to the aviator.

“Is Chijiwa here?”

“Oh, the Special Lieutenant? He’s over there, enjoying some music!”

The man, clearly pleased to have received some officer-grade supplies, pointed with his fingers toward the corner from where the music was playing.

In the dim light──

Chijiwa was hanging upside down from the top rail of a triple bunk, his bare torso swinging. To his sides, his two wingmen, Sugino Heisuke and Matsuda Taichi, also shirtless, were similarly hanging upside down. In front of the three of them was a phonograph, from which Mizumori Misora’s jazz vocals flowed.

──Enemy music, no less.

Hasami’s brow furrowed even more. This music had been brought to Amatsukami through the Levamme territory of San Martilia about half a century ago, but it was now banned throughout the country—no broadcasts, no sales, no listening. Yet Chijiwa had the audacity to play enemy music openly on the carrier. Hasami couldn’t understand why Chijiwa would deliberately provoke his superiors in such pointless ways.

Mizumori Misora was a national icon. With her beautiful black hair, strikingly chiselled features, and graceful figure, she stood out even among Amatsukami's stars. She was the daughter of an upper-class family from Shinso, known for her elegance, modesty, and reserved personality. Her voice was clear and endearing, with a touch of melancholy. Although she had once been a jazz singer, since the war with Levamme began, she was only permitted to sing traditional Amatsukami songs. It felt odd that the brash Chijiwa would be a fan of such a singer, but he would often listen to Mizumori Misora’s songs whenever he had free time.

Hasami secretly liked Mizumori Misora’s songs as well. Or maybe, it wasn’t just the music, but her refreshing presence that attracted him. He had never admitted it, but when she appeared in the tabloids, he would buy them.

──Why does this guy share the same taste as me?

That thought bothered him too. The fact that someone like Chijiwa liked the same music as he did somehow felt infuriating.

Hasami had studied Levamme language as part of his education, so he understood the lyrics. The song went something like this:

If I could fly in the sky, I’d go to the sea where you are,

Asking the seagulls where you might be, crossing many peaks of clouds,

When I find your ship, I’ll quietly rest in its shadow,

Only watching your back, for words would only bring cold responses,

Your gaze is only on the horizon and the endless sky beyond,

So I’ll send you only my prayers.

I love you.

I love you.

It was a heart-wrenching song, like a plea to a distant lover. It made Hasami’s chest tighten slightly. Chijiwa probably couldn’t understand the lyrics, since most people in Amatsukami, including him, couldn’t read or write Levamme. He was probably just enjoying the singer’s voice as if it were an instrument. Into this sorrowful, melancholic song, Sugino’s exaggerated shouting suddenly intruded.

“Sixty...seven...aaagh!”

Simultaneously, all three of them lifted their torsos with just their abs, pressing their foreheads to their knees. Sugino and Matsuda groaned in pain, but Chijiwa, perhaps trying to endure, simply turned bright red without making a sound. His bulging muscles stood out vividly in the amber glow of the naked bulb.

“Sixty...eight...aaagh...!”

“Guh...!! Fnnn...!!”

“............”

“Sixty-nine...!!”

Hasami came to a stop in front of the three upside-down men and looked down at the inverted Chijiwa.

“Chijiwa. I need you. Come to the aviation command.”

Still hanging upside down, Chijiwa, the 22-year-old lieutenant and squadron leader of the Unkaku air group, responded seriously to his colleague.

“I’m in the middle of training.”

Chijiwa often hung upside down. Even when moving through the ship, he would do handstands whenever he could. At first, Hasami thought it was a joke, but Chijiwa insisted it was “training.” He claimed that since pilots sometimes had to fly upside down and scan the ground during flight, it was necessary to train his eyes to view the world that way. Hasami had never heard of such training from any other pilot.

“The aviation staff officer has called for you. Stop your training and come immediately.”

Chijiwa glared at Hasami, still upside down. With a straight face, Hasami stopped the phonograph. The refreshing voice disappeared, leaving only the stifling heat and the thick smell of sweat.

Surrounded by his two officers, Sugino and Matsuda, Chijiwa's wingmen exchanged glances, then nodded and dropped to the floor with a “hiyaah” cry. They quickly stood at attention, saluting Hasami.

“Training has been halted, Lieutenant Hasami!”

“Our apologies, sir!!”

Sugino, a powerfully built young warrior, and Matsuda, a lean and intellectual type, were affectionately known as the “Sugi-Matsu” duo. Both were elite aviators in their teens who had been personally trained by Chijiwa. Without reprimanding them, Hasami looked back down at Chijiwa, who was still upside down.

Chijiwa muttered quietly,

“...Seventy.”

He counted heavily, pulled himself up with a final burst of energy, and pressed his forehead to his knees one last time. Then, with a graceful movement, he grabbed the railing with one hand, pulled his toes free, and landed on the floor. Wiping his sweat with a towel, he turned to Hasami without even looking at him.

“The Seagull escaped, didn’t it?”

He nailed it right away.

Grinding his teeth, Hasami responded,

“...Laugh if you want.”

Chijiwa wiped the sweat from his face, then looked at Hasami with a chillingly cold gaze.

Like a samurai, his long, untied hair was carelessly gathered at the back, his handsome face showing a hint of something fierce, and the faint light in his eyes held a trace of mockery. After wiping down his sweaty torso, he slipped his arms into his flight suit.

His iron-grey eyes locked onto Hasami.

“Was it a good fight?”

Chijiwa rarely spoke more than necessary. Hasami answered bitterly,

“We surrounded it with fourteen planes, but it still got away.”

“Isn’t that just because of your lack of skill?”

Chijiwa’s immediate response stabbed straight into Hasami’s heart. Clenching his teeth until they almost cracked, Hasami glared at his comrade.

“You’ll understand if you try.”

“I look forward to it.”

Chijiwa brushed past Hasami and began walking toward the bridge. Hasami hurriedly followed behind.

“The staff officer will likely give you command of the squadron.”

“He should have done that from the beginning.”

“Do you know why he didn’t?”

“You can’t judge aerial combat from a desk.”

“Orders are issued from the desk.”

“Those orders are useless in the air.”

“That’s why you were taken off the mission.”

As they reached the ladder leading to the upper deck, Chijiwa suddenly turned to face Hasami.

Then, with a smug look beneath his skin, he spoke.

“That’s why you let the Seagull get away.”

“............”

“High-ranking officers don’t understand the subtle nuances of the battlefield.”

With no way to retort, Hasami fell silent. Chijiwa’s blatant disrespect was infuriating, but there wasn’t a single person who could beat him in aerial combat, making it impossible to argue against him.

──I hope you fail too.

Hasami’s inner voice, previously held back, now wished for Chijiwa’s failure.

As they returned to the command room, the aviation staff officer delivered the exact orders Hasami had anticipated to Chijiwa.

“Shoot down the Seagull.”

Bathed in the yellow glow of the setting sun inside the bridge’s command room, Chijiwa, wearing his usual expressionless face, accepted the order without any visible sign of emotion.

“Yes, sir.”

“The Seagull has crossed the Great Waterfall and is hiding among the Sierra Cadiz Islands. Since finding which island it’s on would be extremely difficult, the task force will anchor nearby. Once the Seagull takes off, you are to pursue and shoot it down. The final blow is up to the Shinden squadron. If we allow the Seagull to cross the Central Sea, Levamme will raise the flag of their counteroffensive. There is no room for failure. Remember, the fate of this war depends on this mission.”

“I will shoot it down.”

Despite the aviation staff officer’s intense words, Chijiwa responded in his usual, casual tone.

Neither Chijiwa nor anyone else realized at the time that this nonchalant response would ultimately determine his fate.

Three days later──

The emergency horn blared throughout the Unkaku, which had been anchored off the coast of the Sierra Cadiz Islands.

The sailors, who had been enjoying the peaceful southern sea, were suddenly thrown into a flurry of activity. The launch equipment roared to life, and the standard carrier Unkaku, one of Amatsukami's premier aircraft carriers, began its ascent from the sea. The other aerial ships, which had been forming a 5,000-meter-wide ring, quickly followed, turning the previously calm blue sea into a storm as they ascended into the summer sky. The peaceful quiet of just moments before was replaced by the chaos of battle.

The Unkaku tore through the clouds, rising to an altitude of 3,000 meters, where it could see the silhouettes of the islands far to the east.

“Prepare for immediate sortie, fighter squadron!”

The air group commander’s voice echoed.

The fourteen Shinden aviators, led by Chijiwa, rushed onto the deck. The Shinden planes were already lined up on the rear deck, with maintenance crews performing their final checks. The air group commander wrote the combat plan on a blackboard and then issued a firm order to Chijiwa.

“As I said before, today’s pursuit mission will be carried out with strict formation flying! The fourteen planes will form a single ring and lure the Seagull into an aerial trap! It will take time, but with your skills, it’s guaranteed that you’ll succeed! The fate of Amatsukami rests on this mission. Independent action is absolutely forbidden. You must all work together to complete the mission!”

“Yes, sir!”

A strong reply came from the fighter squadron. The air group commander glanced at Chijiwa’s face, but, as always, it remained expressionless. Over the past three days, the air group commander had personally explained to Chijiwa the importance of formation combat in modern warfare. He had repeatedly stressed that the era of duels between brave warriors had passed, and that in modern warfare, individuals must act as cogs in a machine, serving the greater good of the entire military. Chijiwa hadn’t reacted at all, but when asked, “Do you understand?” he had answered, “I understand.” Whether he truly understood or not would become clear based on his actions today.

The Unkaku turned into the wind. The ship's speed and the wind combined to create a composite wind force of more than 15 meters per second, allowing for take-off. With the wind blowing away his doubts, the air group commander gave the order.

“Fighter squadron, line up!”

The disciplined aviators stood firm against the strong headwind, lining up below the bridge.

The captain of the Unkaku descended from the bridge and walked to the front of the assembled aviators to deliver a brief speech.

“The time has come to demonstrate the fruits of your training. We cannot allow the Levamme crown princess to cross the Central Sea. Whether the enemy’s morale soars to the heavens or sinks to the depths of the earth, this is the turning point. The outcome of the war depends on each and every one of your shoulders. I expect each of you to give your best.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Shinden aviators understood the gravity of the situation. Amatsukami's national strength was less than one-tenth that of the Levamme Empire. The longer the war dragged on, the clearer the disparity in strength would become, and Amatsukami would be at a disadvantage. To achieve a quick victory and early peace, they had to shoot down the future Levamme empress today, crushing the Levamme people's morale to the ground.

The signal for take-off was given from the bridge.

“Fighter squadron, take off!”

The air group commander’s order rang out. The aviators ran toward their Shinden planes, lined up at both ends of the deck.

Chijiwa was first, as the squadron leader. His expression showed not the slightest hint of excitement as he walked with long strides toward his beloved plane, as if he were going for a stroll.

Behind him, Hasami shouted in desperation.

“You understand, don’t you? It’s formation flying! Everyone must work together, do you understand!?”

Without turning around, Chijiwa simply raised one hand. It was a gesture that said, “Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

“Don’t act on your own! We’re soldiers, not children fighting in the streets!”

Without even showing his face, Chijiwa climbed the ladder and boarded his Beagle plane. The Shinden’s fixed gear was longer than that of most carrier planes to prevent the tail propeller from scraping the deck during take-off, so a ladder was needed to board. After exchanging a few words with the maintenance crew, Chijiwa quickly checked the instruments.

“Release the chocks! Start the stack!”

After confirming that the maintenance crew had cleared the area, Chijiwa started the hydrogen fuel cell stack. The electricity generated by the stack flowed to the DC motor, and the aircraft began to vibrate.

“Contact!”

The inertia drive shaft connected to the motor, and the tail propeller roared to life. The flaps dropped. The thunderous noise echoed into the summer sky. Chijiwa’s Beagle plane rolled out to the central white line, and with a single motion, he pushed the lever forward.

“Hats off!”

At the air group commander’s call, the officers and maintenance crews below the bridge all waved their hats in unison. Chijiwa gave a small nod of acknowledgment as he passed by, and as he cleared the bridge, his plane lifted off. It was a flawless take-off. The remaining thirteen planes followed one by one, quickly forming two formations of seven planes each in the sky. They disappeared into the distance, heading straight for the combat zone.

Hasami stood silently, watching as Chijiwa and the others disappeared into the sky. His chest buzzed with nervous energy, playing a tune of uncertainty.

“Please, Chijiwa. Just don’t do anything stupid…”

Forgetting his earlier wish for Chijiwa’s failure, Hasami, now as a fellow soldier, simply prayed for the success of the mission. As the captain had said, the fate of Amatsukami rested on this pursuit mission.

Hasami anxiously waited on the deck for Chijiwa’s squadron to return.

The heavy cruisers and destroyers of the task force had already left in pursuit of the Seagull, disappearing beyond the clouds. Earlier, distant gunfire could be heard from the sky, but that had since fallen silent. The Unkaku stood alone, holding its position at an altitude of 3,000 meters, waiting for the Shinden planes to return.

An hour had passed since take-off. By now, the Seagull should have been shot down. Chijiwa wouldn’t repeat the same mistake Hasami had. But then again, the Seagull’s pilot possessed near-superhuman skills. There were plenty of clouds to hide in, and…

Just as these worries swirled through his mind, the familiar sound of propellers reached his ears.

Looking up, Hasami saw the Shinden squadron returning. Noticing them, the Unkaku descended to an altitude of 1,000 meters, increased speed, and adjusted course to approach from downwind. The thirteen planes performed a friendly identification bank as they passed over the Unkaku, then entered the approach course, adopting a three-point stance and hooking onto the deck’s arresting cables to land. As soon as the first Shinden was secured by the front lift, the next plane descended and repeated the process. These highly trained aviators executed the difficult task of landing on the aircraft carrier with flawless precision.

However, Hasami’s face grew more and more tense. The Beagle plane, with its goofy insignia, was missing.

He saw Sugino, the first to land, walking toward him at a brisk pace. Unable to wait for Sugino to reach the bridge, Hasami ran to him.

“What happened to Chijiwa!?”

Sugino, his face tense, stood at attention and responded.

“Lieutenant Chijiwa stayed behind!”

“Stayed behind!? What do you mean!?”

Sugino gulped, then composed himself before giving his report.

“At first, we surrounded the Seagull with fourteen planes, but no matter how long we chased it, we couldn’t shoot it down…! Finally, Lieutenant Chijiwa grew impatient and ordered us all to stand down! He said he would handle it alone!”

Hasami stood there, mouth agape, as his face turned pale. Then, he shouted in anger.

“I gave strict orders to maintain formation!”

“Yes, sir! I’m sorry!”

“It’s not your fault!”

“Yes, sir! I’m sorry!”

“What happened after that? Did he shoot down the Seagull!?”

Sugino fidgeted uncomfortably before puffing out his chest and responding.

“We lost sight of it! Right after Lieutenant Chijiwa challenged it to a duel, both planes flew into the clouds, and we couldn’t follow…!”

“What are you doing!!”

“I’m sorry!!”

Hasami ran his hands through his hair, stomped the deck twice, then unleashed another wave of fury at Sugino.

“Why!? Why didn’t you work together with the rest of the squadron!? With fourteen planes, you should have been able to shoot it down without a problem! Why did you need a one-on-one duel!?”

“That’s…!”

As Sugino struggled for words, Matsuda appeared behind him. Matsuda was quicker-witted than the strong but slower-thinking Sugino. He quickly stood at attention beside his colleague and answered in Sugino’s place.

“Forgive my boldness, but even if we all attacked together, we couldn’t shoot down the Seagull! That was Lieutenant Chijiwa’s judgment!”

Matsuda’s voice, filled with frustration, rang out from the depths of his chest.

“The skill difference is too great! Only Lieutenant Chijiwa can shoot down the Seagull! All of us, including Lieutenant Chijiwa, came to the same conclusion, and that’s why it became a one-on-one duel!”

Matsuda’s expression was tinged with a tragic resolve. Hasami clenched his lips as he glared at the young warriors before him.

Sugino and Matsuda weren’t average pilots. They had both been selected from an extremely competitive pool of applicants for the Navy’s flight preparatory program, and after three years of intense training, they had graduated and joined the elite Unkaku air group at the young age of nineteen. Both had been personally trained by Chijiwa, and they were considered the best of the best. If they claimed that the Seagull was an extraordinary opponent, there was no doubt that it was true.

──The Seagull is loved by the sky.

Once again, Hasami heard the voice echo in the back of his mind.

Perhaps Matsuda was right. Even if a group of average pilots worked together, they couldn’t defeat a single genius. That was something that could happen in aerial combat.

──Only a genius can shoot down another genius.

The thought of resignation crossed his mind. It was unreasonable, but that was one of the harsh realities of air combat. Because a propeller plane had such a wide range of manoeuvres, it could be controlled by a skilled pilot as if it were a completely different machine—an eagle or even a chicken. And sometimes, there were those who transcended even eagles and became dragons. Chijiwa and the Seagull were dragons. No matter how many eagles you gathered, they couldn’t defeat a dragon. Just as a turkey could never defeat an eagle, an eagle couldn’t defeat a dragon.

Hasami clenched his fists so tightly that blood began to seep out, and without raising his head, he gave his subordinates the command.

“...Go!”

Sugino and Matsuda saluted and then ran side by side toward the aviation command on the bridge to report. Watching their backs, Hasami looked up at the summer sky.

In the deep blue, carefree clouds floated lazily by.

Had the duel already been decided?

Who was stronger, Chijiwa or the Seagull?

Two warriors loved by the sky, locked in a duel.

A showdown between two dragons in the summer sky.

──I wish I could’ve seen it.

That honest thought crossed his mind.

As an individual who lived in the sky, it was a spectacle he would pay to see. Perhaps Sugino and Matsuda, too, had stopped maintaining formation because they wanted to witness it. In a way, Hasami understood. For warriors who dwell in the sky, a one-on-one duel between chosen champions is a stage they all aspire to. Everyone trains daily with the hope of one day standing on that stage. The same must be true for the Levamme aviators. Chijiwa and the Seagull, representing their respective countries—who was stronger? Everyone wanted to know the answer to that simple question.

However, as a soldier tasked with protecting the nation, Hasami couldn’t condone Chijiwa’s way of life. If his methods were allowed, the military would cease to function. Only when individuals risked their lives for the greater good could the massive machine that was the military fulfill its role.

“You idiot…”

He cursed under his breath and looked up at the sky again. Chijiwa’s return was unusually delayed. There was no way a man like him would lose to a seaplane, but still...he was late.

“He’s here, Lieutenant Chijiwa is back!”

The aviators waiting on the deck for Chijiwa’s return pointed to a section of the sky and shouted.

Hasami, his eyes bloodshot, turned in the direction indicated. Sure enough, the faint sound of propellers could be heard mixed with the wind.

A tiny Shinden wobbled through the air at about 1,200 meters in altitude. However, it was swaying strangely, and something seemed off. Everyone focused their eyes on the tiny aircraft.

“Was it hit…!?”

“It’s the left wing, the tip has been torn off!”

The subordinates murmured in disbelief. It was the first time anyone had seen Chijiwa’s Beagle so badly damaged. Hasami turned and shouted toward the bridge behind him.

“Lower the altitude, prepare for a water landing! He can’t land on the carrier like that, he’ll flip over!”

It seemed the command on the bridge had also noticed. The Unkaku rapidly descended, creating a massive spray as it touched the water.

Piercing through the silver veil that covered the horizon, the Unkaku cut through the air, racing windward, just as it did when flying. Without even the familiar identification bank, the Beagle, dragging its wounded body, entered the landing course. Sugino, standing beside Hasami, muttered in awe.

“Amazing… He’s maintaining balance with just the flaps and ailerons…”

“It’s incredible, but landing like that is almost impossible…!”

The Beagle aligned itself with the ship’s bow, moving into the landing path. Lowering the left wing’s flaps to compensate for the lack of lift, adjusting the right wing’s aileron, and controlling its throttle, it was managing to stay airborne. This alone was an extraordinary feat. But now, Chijiwa would have to perform the delicate task of landing on the narrow deck of an aircraft carrier with only one wing.

Landing a plane with one wing was unheard of.

The deck had been prepared with barricades filled with cushioning material, and medics stood by at both ends, ready for any emergency. All 1,500 crew members of the Unkaku held their breath, watching Chijiwa’s one-winged flight.

“He’s coming down! Prepare for an emergency, but make sure we save Chijiwa!”

Hasami shouted to his subordinates. They all wore serious expressions as they answered firmly. Given the situation, the landing could result in a flip, a bounce, or even a crash. No one knew what might happen, but one thing was certain: Chijiwa had to be pulled from the cockpit safely. No matter how difficult or arrogant he was, Chijiwa was a national treasure of the Amatsukami Navy. He was a once-in-a-century aviator.

The Beagle, heavily tilted, approached.

Both wheels were down. There was no issue with the left wing’s landing gear. Chijiwa’s habit of personally inspecting and maintaining his aircraft was paying off here.

The throttle was reduced, and the plane decelerated in the headwind. For a moment, the plane seemed to hover motionless in the air, then it levelled off with delicate adjustments to the rudder.

With 1,500 crew members holding their breath, the Beagle gently touched down on the deck, as if lounging in the sunlight, with a grace that mocked everyone’s worries. It was a perfect landing, so masterful it seemed almost too easy.

A sigh of relief and admiration escaped from the mouths of the crew, and then, as one, they all rushed toward Chijiwa, including Hasami.

“Lieutenant, are you alright!? That was incredible, a godlike manoeuvre!”

Chijiwa, casually descending from the ladder as if nothing had happened, was immediately surrounded by his subordinates. He nodded silently, his gesture a quiet acknowledgment of their concern. That alone was enough to bring tears of joy to his men as they celebrated their squadron leader’s safe return. Amid their smiles, Hasami’s angry face broke through.

“What about the Seagull!? Did you shoot it down!?”

The crowd fell silent, all eyes now on Chijiwa’s expressionless face.

The air grew tense. The sounds around them disappeared. The aviators formed a circle, their eyes filled with hope and prayers as they gazed at Chijiwa.

For a moment.

Then, shockingly, Chijiwa──

broke into the brightest smile imaginable.

Everyone present gasped.

It was the first time anyone had seen Chijiwa smile.

They had seen plenty of sneers and contemptuous expressions, but never such a pure, clear smile gracing that normally stoic face.

Chijiwa, smiling?

Hit by the sight of something so utterly unexpected, Hasami’s entire body froze in fear. A chill ran down his spine, making his teeth chatter. He wanted to turn away and run from this unfathomable smile, but he forced himself to muster his courage and asked the question once more.

“What happened to the Seagull!?”

Chijiwa’s clear, cheerful smile remained as he answered.

“It got away!”

His response was startlingly carefree and far too innocent.

The atmosphere on the deck froze solid. Everyone surrounding Chijiwa turned pale.

Unfazed, Chijiwa looked up at the sky with an air of triumph and said,

“I was shot by the princess!”

He laughed heartily, a bright and refreshing sound.

Hasami, Sugino, Matsuda, and likely everyone who had ever known Chijiwa, had never heard him laugh like that before.

“I was completely fooled! What a performance, she made me believe she couldn’t shoot! I never imagined she’d let me get so close before firing… she’s quite something, she’s a big one!”

Chijiwa, still grinning broadly, slapped Hasami’s shoulder with infectious enthusiasm.

Hasami’s gaping mouth slowly closed, his face turning pale as he finally exploded with anger.

“Y-you... you let it escape!?”

He grabbed Chijiwa by the collar with both hands, shaking him violently.

“You mean to tell me you failed the one mission we absolutely couldn’t afford to fail!?”

Even as Chijiwa’s neck was throttled, he didn’t stop laughing.

“Haha, that’s right! I lost, I lost, I was beaten fair and square!”

He showed no remorse, accepting defeat like a sportsman who had given his all in a match, laughing as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A thunderous bolt of rage exploded in Hasami’s temple.

“I told you to follow the formation! You swore you’d shoot it down!”

“Haha, I got outplayed, haha!”

“It’s not funny! You broke formation and challenged her to a one-on-one duel, only to let her escape! What kind of excuse is that!?”

Chijiwa bowed his head slightly, catching his breath, and then, still smiling, he raised his face again.

“I’ll accept my punishment. I don’t mind if I’m demoted from squadron leader. But no matter what, I still want to fly the Shinden.”

“W-what are you talking about…?”

“I’m just not cut out to be a commander. I’d rather go back to being a regular pilot. I don’t mind being your subordinate. I just want to fly freely.”

Hasami was beyond anger; he was dumbfounded. His mouth hung open like a gate held up by a rod, unable to close. The torrent of scolding words he was about to unleash was swallowed back.

He had noticed something.

Behind Chijiwa’s smile──there was something immense lurking.

It wasn’t a fake smile. Chijiwa was genuinely smiling from his heart. But behind that smile, something far more fundamental—something that made up the core of Chijiwa Takeo’s being—was rising, overflowing, and filling the space like an invisible torrent.

Unconsciously, Hasami took a step back, pushed by the force of this presence.

──Haki.

The word echoed faintly in the back of his mind.

This was the spirit only a king of the sky could possess, surging from within Chijiwa’s soul like molten lava, pouring out from behind that smile.

“You…”

Hasami released his grip on his comrade’s collar and managed to mutter only that.

“Is the lecture over? I’ll go make my report.”

Still smiling cheerfully, Chijiwa pushed past Hasami with one hand and walked toward the bridge.

A strong wind was blowing. Just as he reached to open the watertight door, Chijiwa paused for a moment, turned his head slightly, and looked up at the sky.

The rich blue of the summer sky stretched overhead.

But in Chijiwa’s mind’s eye, it wasn’t the sky he saw—it was the Seagull, saluting him.

After the aerial duel had concluded—

Chijiwa, barely managing to keep his plane in the air with a third of his left wing shot off by the future empress, noticed the Seagull approaching from the side.

Chijiwa braced himself, expecting to be gunned down by the Seagull's machine guns. But instead of bullets, what he received was a salute.

For a moment, Chijiwa was taken aback. It was hard for him to believe that a Levamme, so often arrogant and condescending, would offer such a gesture. The only thing Chijiwa could do in response was to twist his mouth into a grimace and return the salute, bitterly.

He then realized it was the second time he'd seen the Seagull's face. During a battle over San Martilia, there had been an exceptionally skilled aviator in an inferior Ares II who managed to hold his own for quite a while. Chijiwa eventually shot him down and circled the pilot's parachute, mocking him openly. That pilot, grimacing in frustration, had been the Seagull.

So then—

──That makes it one win each.

He looked up at the sky, silently addressing the Seagull before turning back. He had to report his humiliating defeat to the aviation command.

──Next time, let's settle this.

A nameless emotion stirred within Chijiwa’s soul. He didn’t know how to calm it, nor did he want to. He just wanted to immerse himself in the strange mixture of humiliation, passion, and warmth.

──I will shoot down the Seagull.

As he repeated that to himself, another surge of determination welled up from within. With a burning resolve rooted deep in his consciousness, Chijiwa walked through the watertight door.